Before and After
by The Shipper of Many Fandoms
Summary: NOW A TWOSHOT! After reuniting as one of the members of the resistance, Silver and Espio finally have a proper conversation since the Ifrit incident. It's funny how the worst case scenarios are what unite them once more. After the resistance, the two take the time to unwind; and what better way to do it with a cheesy love confession and... fireflies? Espilver with hints of Silvaze
1. Before

Tossing, turning, groaning, Silver just couldn't sleep. How can he? Hell, since when has he ever slept in peace? He was always caught up in a war. Come to think of it, he was more used to fighting than resting. He grew up like that and trying to be the hero has been his shtick ever since.

Seeing his future turn to ruin once more, he had to return to the past to see what was going on. And it was true: Sonic is gone, Tails lost hope, Eggman expanded his empire all throughout Mobius, and everyone is living in fear. Who knew the sudden _death_ of a single hero could befall every other hero fighting their own battles? It was ridiculous, incredulous, but it happened. Where was Shadow in all of this? Did he help Eggman conquer the world? Why, that sneaky bastard!

And where was Blaze? She was nowhere in site when he met up with the resistance. Was she killed? No, this cannot be!

"Don't worry, Blaze evacuated Cream and a few more of our friends into her own dimension, so they're safe there for now," Amy explained. The hedgehog sighed heavily with relief. _Thank goodness... it's better for her to be there than here. I can't imagine the rest of my life without her,_ Silver thought bitterly. Among the resistance stood Amy, Rouge, who was about to leave the hideout with Knuckles on another mission, a bee, who introduced himself as Charmy, a crocodile who bragged his name to be Vector, and Espio, an old friend he once met during his quest to save his era from the all powerful Ifrit.

Silver couldn't believe his eyes - everyone felt hopeless, distraught, defeated without Sonic. He shook his head and gave them hope, hope for them to work together to create the miracle they tried to seek out for the past six months. While he was too busy to look it, he greatly appreciated Espio's support to his plan, only for the new rookie to arrive alongside Knuckles. Once the rookie was sent out on their first mission, everyone was given little time to rest themselves and monitor the rookie's current position to give him the basics.

The sun began to descend, which was the perfect time to rest and strategize. When there was nothing left to report, Amy ordered Silver to lay down and recharge his energy before getting too involved. Vector helped a nervous and surprisingly tired Charmy fall asleep. He slightly observed Knuckles communicating with Rouge about Sonic's whereabouts, and Espio was nowhere to be found.

"Hey, uh, Vector is it?" Silver whispered.

"Keep it down! Charmy's sleeping," Vector hissed.

"I am keeping it down!" Silver whispered impatiently. "Have you seen Espio?"

"He's sitting around here somewhere, invisible like always. He does that when he wants to be alone."

"Shouldn't he be afraid of being alone at this point?" Silver mumbled back worriedly.

"Just go to our room. He should be there on his bunk," Vector answered. "But don't take too long. When we get a report back with the rookie, I'll call you two to come back here."

"Sure thing."

Silver didn't need to ask Vector where his team's room was, all he wanted to do was explore the place, make sure there aren't any spyware lurking around the premises. Then again, why do that when Espio's there for the job? Hey, two's better than one. As he entered one room, he narrowly stopped an incoming kunai from reaching his face using his telekinesis.

"Easy there, chameleon!" Silver exclaimed, using that same nickname he used on the ninja when they first met. He released the kunai from his control as it landed on the palm of his hand. "Quite a useful weapon. What is it?"

"It's a kunai. I use it during combat along with my shurikens." Espio retrieved the weapon and kept it within before meeting Silver's eyes. "What brings you here? Did Knuckles need me?"

"No," Silver answered quickly. "I just wanted to find you."

Espio chuckled with his arms folded. "Do you miss me already?"

"Uh, yeah?"

The chameleon sighed hopelessly. This guy can't get a single joke. "Come in. You should probably rest like Amy told you to."

"Justice never sleeps, Espio."

The two sat down on a nearby ottoman, gazing outside at the demolished buildings from the dusty window. Silence filled the room as Espio continued to meditate while Silver stared blankly into the chaos, unfazed by the scene.

"You know, I had a feeling you would come back," Espio spoke. Silver said nothing and continued to stare off into space, albeit listening to every word. "You seem unfazed by all this. Is your world always this desolate?"

"No. Well, most of the time. There are days where I get to see smiles on everyone's faces, and see clear blue skies. But somehow something always goes wrong and the future I want doesn't last."

"The future isn't set to stone, Silver. Things change," Espio explained, still meditating.

"I suppose you're right. Hey, at least it's a good enough excuse for me to come back, right?" Silver chuckled. Espio broke out of his meditation as his chest felt heavy.

"You come back so many times," he began mumbling shakily, which caught Silver off guard as he stared into his eyes. "Yet we never really spoke to each other. There are days where Vector and Charmy would get on my nerves all the time and not even finding solitude by myself is enough to relax my mental state."

"So being around me calms you down more?"

"Quite frankly the opposite, yet we're kind of alike. And I... I missed it."

"Missed what?"

"What we had. We had our own adventure together, remember? You got me roped into fighting your battles with you and becoming your strength. We collected chao, went against our comrades, took down Eggman Nega and defeated a giant monster that was going to destroy our world for goodness' sake! I even got to travel through time and it was my first time ever doing that. I missed that.

"I missed... you. I kind of wished we would do something like that again... but I kind of thought you forgot about me for a while."

"Are you kidding, it's the total opposite!" Silver retorted. "The minute we parted ways you were constantly on my mind! I'm not the kind of guy who considers everyone I meet as a friend but you... you're one of my closest friends aside from Blaze! Heck, you're probably the closest... _guy_ friend I've ever had!"

Espio's now dilated eyes met Silver's shining orbs once more. He uncrossed his legs and left them hanging next to Silver. "Really?"

"Yes, really! I'm glad I met you. I know there are journeys I never got to remember, which still bug me to this day, but I don't ever want to forget us, Espio. You helped me save the future when everyone thought I was crazy!" Silver then sandwiched Espio's hand in his. "Everyone except you. You trusted me, and that's the greatest gift anyone has ever given me: trust... and faith. How could I forget that?

"So for now, let's not give up hope. This world is depending on us! Our new rookie is depending on us to help them fight alongside us. I know what I said about Sonic, but deep down he could still be out there and I've got a little faith left in me. You gave me that faith, remember? What you gave to me, I now return to you. You do feel that, right?" Silver cooed and leaned close, his eyes fixed on his hand still protecting Espio's hand.

A faint blush became visible on Espio's cheeks. The setting sunlight beamed across half of Silver's face and it was a touching sight. Espio smiled warmly and rested his right hand over Silver's. Silver's eyes widened slightly and let the moment sink in as he relaxed against the chameleon's gentle touch. He then felt Espio's forehead lean against his. Glancing up, he noticed Espio rendering the same warm smile he made moments ago. With their foreheads still touching, their eyes met yet again as Espio finally answered.

"I do now, thanks to you."

Moments later, there came a knock from their door. Then they heard Vector's muffled voice on the other end. "Heads up, guys, we received some intel related to Sonic's whereabouts!"

"Whereabouts!? You mean he's alive?" Silver exclaimed with excitement.

"We don't know but it's highly likely!"

"Guess you're not as realistic as you thought?" Espio teased as he made his way to open the door.

"Psh, it's not like you're very optimistic either," Silver retorted. The chameleon pushed the door open and scoffed.

"Touche. I'm just glad you're safe."

"I'm glad you are too, Espio."

* * *

 **Then after that, they realize Sonic is still alive and the game goes on. Just so everyone knows, I haven't played Sonic Forces yet. I haven't written Sonic fanfiction in almost a decade. Feel free to review and respect each other in the comments. I won't be sharing stories here for a while.**


	2. After

It was over.

They won!

The resistance was deemed victorious. Everyone rejoiced as they faced a whole new light of freedom within their reach. What was ninety-nine percent of their dominated world is now reclaimed, leaving the Eggman Empire in their former place: back to square one... or rather a hundredth. The 'rookie' fled to round up their team and more than half of the world was replenished, by the resistance, in a week, surprisingly. Everyone was beat and ready to go home... their new homes that is given all that's left of what they had was rubble. Even the Chaotix had to rebuild their own agency in the same forest, which was slowly reviving itself.

Sonic and Tails moved on to find their own journey once more. Knuckles, not knowing what else to do after disbanding his 'leadership' from the resistance, took this chance to make time for Rouge, leaving Shadow and Omega to report back to the G.U.N. base on their own. Still as goofy as ever, the Chaotix took their leave, with Vector and Charmy uttering nonsense while Espio simply shook his head before stopping behind to look back at the Silver, who was still observing the screen filled with updates on each zone.

"Still paranoid, I see?" Espio began as he walked towards his friend.

"Yeah... I'm a little worried Eggman may have another plan that we're not prepared for," said Silver, with concern.

Espio simply crossed his arms, unfazed. "If he rises back up, then so will we. Besides, as far as even his robot minions know, his next big plan won't be up for another year at least. He's got a lot of rebuilding to do with his robots before he could launch another surprise attack. Even then, we'll be ready for it."

"A year isn't that long if you think about it. Wait, how'd you know what his robot sidekicks knew?" Silver's golden eyes studied Espio's knowing ones.

"A ninja never reveals his secrets," Espio answered with pride.

"Not even to his future spouse?" Silver teased.

"Na- wait, what?" Espio uncrossed his arms and quickly turned to look at the hedgehog, who simply laughed at his shock.

"I'm kidding, ya hothead!" The hedgehog playfully punched Espio's arm, which the chameleon quickly countered with the palm of his right hand. _I mean he is hot... WAIT what am I saying?_ Espio noticed Silver slapping his forehead and tilted his head. "Something wrong, Silver?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing! Your team is probably looking for you, so I think you should go."

"Yeah, I don't think so. They refuse to acknowledge my existence sometimes," Espio scoffed.

 _ **Meanwhile...**_

"Hey, where did Espio go?" Charmy asked.

"Who?" Vector asked idiotically... until it hit him. "Oh, right! He's obviously invisible since he couldn't stand us being annoying."

"Oh, that sounds about right!" Charmy looked back and stuck his tongue out at what he thought was Espio. "Now, what were we talking about?"

"Oh, right! Since Eggman conquered the world, he owes US money!" Vector fumed. (Sonic Heroes, anyone?)

 _ **Well...**_

"But I can see I'm making you feel uncomfortable so I should probably leave you alone," Espio forced a smile and turned his back at the hedgehog, who quickly stopped him by grabbing his hand.

"W-wait, I didn't mean that! I-I-" Silver stammered as he shyly stared at Espio's grabbed hand before letting go. "I wanna walk you home!" he suddenly shouted as their gazes met.

"Walk me home? Silver, I can protect myself," Espio chuckled rather nervously.

"I just thought I'd see you off before I head home, that's all." Quite the bullshit artist if Silver said so himself.

"If that's what you desire then I'll lead," Espio said in approval. As he turned around a soft smile appeared on his face as he paced.

"You're the one I desire..." a flushed Silver mumbled to himself.

"What was that?" Espio asked with bewilderment.

"Nothing!" Damn, that chameleon can hear!

* * *

Night had fallen; and unlike any other, all they could hear were chirping crickets instead of rapid gunfire. Oh how they both missed this. The cyan aesthetics on Silver's gear began to glow underneath the moonlight, leaving Espio struck with awe.

"We've been walking for some time now. Did you get us lost, Espio?" Silver asked.

Espio quickly snapped out of his thoughts. "I doubt it, Vector did say home was this way. We're not too far."

"For a second or two, I thought you planned on getting us lost so you could spend more time with me," Silver teased.

"You're not the only bullshit artist," Espio retorted, pardoning himself for such language.

The hedgehog panicked. "So we ARE lost?"

"No," Espio laughed. What a cute laugh, Silver thought. "I know where home is. It's just that I'd rather be here than there. I need my peace and quiet."

 _'And you.'_

"Well in that case, my butt feels heavy." Without further ado, Silver dropped himself onto the grass. The second he sat, a small wave of light formed a small shockwave around him, causing him to jump and run behind Espio. The light wave then became small glowing orbs that gently hovered in the air.

"Wha-What was that?!" Silver stammered in shock.

"Well, the fireflies are out tonight. Don't worry, they're harmless." Espio said as he demonstrated this by tapping his foot onto the mid grass, awakening more fireflies underneath. A firefly landed on his finger, making him smile endearingly. "Heh. I miss these almost as much as I miss you."

Silver blushed at the comment before looking at his surroundings. For some reason he wondered, has Espio always been so serious? Was it always peace and quiet that he loved so much? Isn't there even just a little bit of immaturity in that no-nonsense mind of his? Silver puffed his cheeks at the thought until an idea came to mind.. with a lit firefly over his head.

"Hey, I think I know how we can both unwind," Silver began.

Espio released the firefly into the air. "I'm listening."

"Now, I know this sounds a little childish but let's play a game! In the future I noticed some of the kids talking about some old-fashioned game called hide-and-seek. Have you heard of it?"

"Yeah but I'm too old for games," Espio protested.

"We're teenagers and we're never too old to do the things we love. We're still young! Have you played it before when you were a kid?"

Espio flinched at the question. He hardly did anything normal kids would do for fun. It was all ninjitsu and learning self-discipline. He never had time for games. Maybe that's why he doesn't like being around those who lived normal childhoods. Maybe that's why he doesn't like games...

"I... I never made time for games. I'm wasn't like most kids. Heh, I remember being made fun of sometimes, by a few citizens from Green Hill Zone, whenever they asked me to play with them. Maybe I shouldn't have said no," Espio answered deeply.

"Well now you can make your choice! I'm not like most kids either. We have a lot more in common than we think," Silver said in assurance. "You hide, I'll find you. No stakes involved. Are you in?"

Espio gave one last smirk before turning invisible. "Deal. But just one round."

"YES!" Silver exclaimed, knowing Espio had already disappeared. He found a nearby tree and began counting to ten. Chaos, this is childish, but nobody has to know. This is for their memories to keep and theirs alone.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are! Or something..." Silver exclaimed as his voice echoed through the trees. The moonlight and surrounding fireflies lit the way, not that Silver needed any light. He's his own light. From what he read, chameleons are notorious for camouflaging atop the trees, so for half the search, his eyes went north, observing every nearby tree he could find but to no avail. He was tempted to use his ESP to find Espio but knew right away that would be cheating. He had faith in himself. There's no way he's giving up! If he could sense a monster miles away then he should be able to sense an invisible chameleon with ease.

Meanwhile, Espio was not far at all. In fact he wasn't even on the trees. He simply stood vulnerable yet unexposed on the grass, watching Silver search for him. It wasn't long before he sat cross-legged, continuing to his powers to maintain his chroma chamo, then moved to a nearby tree as Silver got closer. When he rose to his feet, he started to think about the young hedgehog. For the longest time he hasn't been able to get Silver out of his mind since their departure after they destroyed the Ifrit. He recalled those moments, as a referee, where he would reward Silver with his medal... not that it mattered what kind as long as he got to see him. Why won't this strange feeling leave? They only got stronger the more they're together. And when he was away, he felt frustrated, wishing he could take a break from his crew and seek solitude with him. They have quite a lot in common, and despite their opposites, they complement each other in some way. Ugh, stop it, Espio, you're losing focus! He mentally punished himself for thinking such trivial thoughts. Before he could move away from his spot, a wink of fireflies began to circle him.

"Guys, shush! Let me through," he hissed. Then his eyes widened. "Uh-oh."

Silver scratched his head. Two minutes have passed and still no sign of Espio. Moments later, a firefly landed on his nose, causing him to flinch at the contact. He stared at it before slowly moving his hand to swat it away, then missed. The firefly circled him before moving to a particular direction that made Silver smirk knowingly. There he was: invisible, but losing focus. Then he began to rush at him. Espio flinched and slowly backed up.

"Oh no, no, no, no," he stuttered. "Stop! I yield. I yield!" he screamed and pushed his arms out to stop him. Yes, he lost focus, ergo he was visible again. Silver didn't stop though. Within a foot, he leapt and pounced onto Espio, causing them both to yelp as they rolled over the grass. When they made a thud, more fireflies came rushing out to free themselves. The two lay on each other, panting from the slight adrenaline rush. Feeling soft flesh beneath him, and hearing another's rapid heartbeat, Silver moaned as he slowly pushed himself up, then realized he was on top of the chameleon. They both gasped at how close their faces were. There was a delay. They just kept staring; gold orb to gold orb. Espio was the first to blink out of the fantasy and looked away shyly. He was already close to turning red completely.

"I-I guess I lost," Espio mumbled.

"No, you didn't."

Confused, Espio turned to face the hedgehog above him. "What do you mean?"

"You won me," Silver answered, an awkward smile formed on his face.

Espio's lips parted slightly then looked away, in false hopes he could hide his burning blush. He couldn't focus, so he couldn't blend in with his surroundings. Now that they're here, he might as well say it.

"I... like you," he mumbled as quietly as possible, in a voice that nobody often heard.

"I love you too," Silver confessed. Espio's heart raced. Crap, he heard him say it! If it wasn't racing faster than Sonic than it probably should be. How embarrassing was it to hear a confession from your crush as you lay underneath them? If he could turn invisible right now then he would, but how would he? He's too mortified to concentrate!

"H-how would you know if I said that? What if I told you to get off of me?" Espio replied in an attempt to tease him... which failed miserably, hence Silver's laughter.

"I heard you loud and clear, Espio," Silver teased back proudly. To be fair, he almost believed him and was ready to get off, but he wasn't missing this chance. How far can he push himself before they both get too uncomfortable? It's now or never.

"But can you say it again... please?" Silver spoke once more.

"You heard me say it. I refuse to say it again!" Espio answered back. However, when he looked back, he could no longer look away. Silver looked down on him with a cute puppy dog face, as if he was about to cry. He almost forgot there were fireflies everywhere, so that made it more difficult for Espio to resist. He swore he'd say it once. He groaned and leaned up slightly.

"Fine," Espio sighed. At first, Silver thought Espio was going to whisper the words into his ear. But it wasn't that. Instead, Espio brought Silver's face down and brushed his lips against his. Silver resisted for the first few seconds, before leaning in deeper to kiss the chameleon back. After they pulled away, Espio glared at the hedgehog above him, with his cheeks burning up.

"Does that answer your question?"

"Hmm... I may need another hint."

"What hi-mmph!"

Swiftly yet softly, Silver leaned into a more passionate kiss as he gently laid his head down on the grass. Espio did his best not to make any embarrassing noises during their rather intimate session. Soon enough he gave in and moaned once Silver began stroking his tail while kissing his peachy chest. The moment Silver heard Espio's sudden passionate outburst, it only made him want to explore the chameleon further. Espio knew Silver reacted like this, so he bit his lip to stifle his moans with squirms It was too much.

And they needed to stop.

"W-Wait, Silver, I," he gasped. "I need to get home, remember?"

Realizing what he had done, Silver quickly stopped what he was doing and backed away. "Oh, crap, I'm so sorry! I-I didn't know what I was doing, I-I-!"

"Silver, it's okay-"

"No it's not! I basically assaulted you without your consent and I'm so sorry!" Silver quickly buried his flushed red face within his knees.

"Silver!" Espio shouted. "It's okay. It's not that I didn't consent or anything, it's just that..." _We can't do this here_ , was what he wanted to say, but it was too embarrassing to admit. "I really need to get home before Vector and Charmy realize I'm gone."

Espio got up and knelt down slightly to raise Silver to his feet. "I'm not angry, nor did I say I didn't want any of... what just happened. You were supposed to walk me home right?"

Silver smiled sheepishly. "Y-yeah."

The chameleon smiled and held Silver's hand as he led the way.

* * *

By the time they reached the new detective agency, Espio walked to the door, leaving Silver in his place. When Espio turned to say goodbye, he observed a sad smile painted on Silver's face.

"What's wrong?"

"I-I don't know."

"If this is about what happened, then remember what I told you."

"It's not that I... I just wanted to hear you say it," Silver admitted. "Maybe a little louder. At least so that my conscience is clear. I don't want to live the rest of my life knowing I made out with my best friend after hearing what I thought was a love confession."

"I thought you heard me loud and clear," Espio recalled.

"Yeah... that was a lie... sort of. I mean I heard it but... my hearing isn't as good as yours. At least, I don't think it is," Silver spoke before getting lost in momentary thought.

Espio shook his head and smiled. Chaos, this hedgehog is such a dork. He walked away from his door and granted Silver a chaste kiss before firmly saying, "I love you. Don't ever forget that, nor should you ever doubt it. Are we clear?"

Silver's smile turned into a flattered grin before letting his forehead touch Espio's once more. "Crystal," he answered. Espio chuckled back. _Goodness me, his laugh is disarming,_ he thought dreamily.

"ESPIO'S GONE!" they heard Vector scream from within, forcing them to break away.

"Wow, they just noticed?" Silver asked incredulously.

"Surprised?"

"...No. Your crew members are idiots," Silver commented playfully.

"Yes, but they're my idiots," Espio sighed.

"And what am I?"

Espio gave him a coy smile. "You're mine."

The chameleon opened the door, with Charmy storming towards him for a hug.

"THERE YOU ARE! See, Vector, I told you he wasn't playing the ghost!" Charmy exclaimed.

"Where the heck were you!? I shed my skin searching for you!" Vector shouted.

"Gross," Espio deadpanned before turning his gaze to Silver. "Silver offered to walk me home."

"Yeah, yeah, anyways, we're good, Charmy. He ain't dead," Vector said before facing the hedgehog. "You, do you want to stay the night?"

"Me? Why?" Silver asked.

"Well you did help us save the world and clean it up for the most part. It's the least we can do."

"But I thought only Chaotix members can stay over... and Miss Vani-"

"SHUT UP AND GO TO BED, CHARMY; IT'S WAY PAST YOUR BED TIME!" Vector roared, his cheeks tinted pink.

"Sure thing, _Mister Vanilla_ ," Charmy giggled evilly before zooming to his room.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Vector snapped, then turned to Silver in a calm and collected manner. "Make yourself at home. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to kill a bee with his own stinger." And with that, he left.

"So... where can I sleep?" Silver asked. "I can sleep on the couch or something."

"Shush. You don't receive enough luxury in the future. You're sleeping in my room on the futon. I'll take the couch in the living room."

"No, you're too kind. I'll take the couch."

"No you're not. The couch is mine."

"No, it's mine!"

And throughout the night, they ended up cuddling on the couch together, with a blanket over them both, until they fell asleep. So much for sleeping together in Espio's new bedroom. Perhaps they should have gone with sharing a room instead.

What's done is done.

* * *

 **Here's the second oneshot. It may seem a little OOC of these two and I will regret writing this in the future. For now help me cherish what I got with the few Espilver fanfictions appearing across the internet.**

 **I'm out!**


End file.
